Mortality Attributable to Clostridioides difficile Infection: The Rising Burden of Disease in European Countries

• Published in: Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) Vol. 60; no. 8; p. 1222
• Main Authors: Ilic, Irena, Zivanovic Macuzic, Ivana, Ilic, Milena
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 28-07-2024; MDPI
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Age groups; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Antibiotics; Asymptomatic; Child; Child, Preschool; Clostridioides difficile; Clostridium difficile; Clostridium Infections - epidemiology; Clostridium Infections - mortality; Cost of Illness; Costs; Disease prevention; Epidemiology; Estimates; Europe - epidemiology; Female; Global Burden of Disease - trends; Hospitals; Humans; Infant; Infections; Inflammatory bowel disease; Male; Middle Aged; mortality; Premature mortality; Public health; Surveillance; Systematic review; Trends; Young Adult; Europe; United Kingdom > UK; United States > US; mortality; epidemiology; trends; Clostridium difficile
• ISSN: 1648-9144; 1010-660X; 1648-9144
• DOI: 10.3390/medicina60081222

:
infection is a major public health issue, being among the main causes of mortality due to healthcare-associated diarrhea. This study aimed to assess the trends in mortality attributable to
infections in European countries over a period of 30 years.
: A descriptive epidemiological study was conducted, with the application of an ecological study design, to evaluate the trends in mortality due to
infection in the Central, Eastern, and Western European sub-regions from 1990 to 2019. The Global Burden of Disease study database was used. Trends were evaluated with the joinpoint regression analysis.
: In both sexes, about 76% of all deaths attributable to
infections were recorded in the Western European sub-region in 2019. The age-standardized rates of the burden of
infection in 2019 were the highest in the Central European sub-region, followed by the Western European sub-region, while the lowest rates were observed in the Eastern European sub-region. A significantly increasing trend in mortality attributable to
infection from 1990 to 2019 was recorded both in males (by +2.1% per year) and females (by +2.8% per year). The burden of
infection showed increasing trends in most of the European countries, significantly correlating with the country's development, according to the Human Development Index.
: The rising burden of
infection in European countries in the last few decades suggests a need for improving public health measures, with a focus both on the hospital setting and community.